News 3/16/15

THREE SCHOOLS INCLUDING CARDINAL NEWMAN WERE EVACUATED FRIDAY AFTER RECEIVING A BOMB THREAT.

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT REPORTED THAT CLASSES WERE CUT SHORT FRIDAY AT THREE SANTA ROSA SCHOOLS AFTER A BOMB THREAT WAS CALLED INTO CARDINAL NEWMAN HIGH SCHOOL BEFORE 11 A.M., PROMPTING THE EVACUATION OF APPROXIMATELY 1,000 STUDENTS FROM THE THREE CAMPUSES. OLD REDWOOD HIGHWAY WAS SHUT DOWN FOR MORE THAN FIVE HOURS WHILE SONOMA COUNTY SHERIFFS PERSONNEL SWEPT THE GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS WITH ASSISTANCE OF A BOMB-DETECTION DOG BROUGHT IN BY THE SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT. NO BOMB WAS FOUND DURING THE SEARCH AND PROPERTY CRIMES DETECTIVES WERE INVESTIGATING WHO MADE THE PHONE CALLS TO THE CARDINAL NEWMAN PRINCIPAL WARNING THAT A BOMB WAS ON CAMPUS, BUT AS OF FRIDAY EVENING NO ARRESTS HAD BEEN MADE.

INMATE WALKS AWAY FROM CONSERVATION CAMP (LAW) JB 3/16/15

AN INMATE FROM THE CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONAL CENTER WALKED AWAY FROM THE KONOCTI CONSERVATION CAMP OVER THE WEEKEND.

37-YEAR-OLD MINIMUM-SECURITY INMATE, JAMES BELLINO, WAS ASSIGNED TO AN INMATE FIREFIGHTING CREW WHEN HE WAS REPORTED MISSING AT THE INMATE COUNT FRIDAY EVENING. BELLINO WAS SERVING A MULTI-YEAR SENTENCE AND WAS SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED IN JULY OF NEXT YEAR. HE IS DESCRIBED AS 62 TALL, 207 POUNDS WITH GREEN EYES AND A SHAVED HEAD AND AUTHORITIES SAID HE WAS LAST SEEN WEARING GRAY SWEATPANTS, A WHITE TANK TOP AND WHITE TENNIS SHOES. ANYONE SEEING BELLINO SHOULD CALL 911 OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY.

WATER AGENCY TO DISCUSS GROUNDWATER ACT (EVR) JB 3/16/15

THE MENDOCINO COUNTY WATER AGENCY HAS SCHEDULED A FORUM TO DISCUSS THE SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ACT.

ACCORDING TO A NEWS RELEASE BY THE MENDOCINO COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE, THE MENDOCINO COUNTY WATER AGENCY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE WILL HOLD AN EDUCATIONAL FORUM ON THE SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2014. THE PURPOSE OF THE FORUM IS GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACT AND RESPOND TO QUESTIONS REGARDING ITS REGULATION. TOPICS OF DISCUSSION WILL INCLUDE TIMELINES FOR ENACTMENT, THE AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF A GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY AND AVAILABLE FUNDING SOURCES. THE PUBLIC FORUM IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 26 AT 5:30 PM AT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAMBERS ON LOW GAP ROAD IN UKIAH.

HUFFMAN SAYS LEGALIZE POT TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT (EVR) JB 3/16/15

CONGRESSMAN JARED HUFFMAN CONTINUES HIS PUSH FOR LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

SPEAKING AT AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE SALMONID RESTORATION FEDERATION, HUFFMAN SAID CONTINUING DOWN THE CURRENT PATH IS NOT AN OPTION, GIVEN THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACTS OF INDUSTRIAL-SCALE MARIJUANA CULTIVATION. THE ACTIVITY, INCLUDING ILLEGAL WATER DIVERSIONS, TOXIC CHEMICAL USE AND POACHING HAS DAMAGED NORTH COAST STREAMS AND LAID WASTE TO LARGE SWATHS OF FOREST. HUNDREDS OF SCIENTISTS, WILDLIFE OFFICIALS, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS AND OTHERS HEARD THE CONGRESSMAN LIST MARIJUANA CULTIVATION AS ONE OF THE TOP THREE THREATS TO SALMON RECOVERY IN THE STATE. HUFFMAN REPRESENTS ROUGHLY THE TOP THIRD OF CALIFORNIAS COAST, WHERE, HE SAID, ABOUT 65 PERCENT OF THE NATIONS MARIJUANA SUPPLY IS GROWN MUCH OF IT THROUGH ILLEGAL TRESPASS ON PUBLIC LAND.

UUSD TO REFUND MORE DEVELOPERS FEES (ECN/ED) JB 3/16/15

THE UKIAH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DECIDED TO REFUND FEES COLLECTED FROM SEVERAL DEVELOPERS IN THE DISTRICT.

ACCORDING TO THE UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL, THE UKIAH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES THURSDAY VOTED TO REFUND MORE OF THE DEVELOPERS FEES IT COLLECTED BEFORE A JUDGE DECLARED THEM INVALID. A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE SAID THERE IS CURRENTLY $945,000 IN THE UUSDS DEVELOPER FEE ACCOUNT, AND THE DISTRICT PLANS TO OFFER REFUNDS TO 41 DEVELOPERS WHO PAID FEES BETWEEN MAY 9, 2012, AND OCT. 26, 2013. IF ALL DEVELOPERS REQUEST REFUNDS, THE TOTAL REFUNDED WOULD AMOUNT TO JUST UNDER $175,000. THE LETTERS TO THE DEVELOPERS WILL INCLUDE A DEADLINE FOR ASKING FOR A REFUND IN AN EFFORT TO PUT END THE ONGOING ISSUE AND MOVE FORWARD. THE DISTRICT WILL NOT CHARGE THE DEVELOPERS FEES AGAIN UNTIL A NEW FEE STUDY IS COMMISSIONED AND ITS FINDINGS JUSTIFY NEW FEES.

POLICE K9 APPREHENDS CLEARLAKE BURGLAR (LAW) JB 3/16/15

A CLEARLAKE POLICE K9 APPREHENDED A MAN ATTEMPTING TO FLEE AFTER AN ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT A DOCTORS OFFICE.

CLEARLAKE POLICE WERE NOTIFIED THAT A SUBJECT WEARING DARK-COLORED CLOTHING HAD JUST SMASHED THE WINDOW OF AN OPTOMETRISTS OFFICE ON OLD HIGHWAY 53. UPON THEIR ARRIVAL, OFFICERS WITNESSED 21 YEAR OLD PATRICK JAMES POTTER RUNNING AWAY FROM THE SCENE. AFTER CHASING POTTER ON FOOT, OFFICERS DEPLOYED K9 OFFICER DEX TO APPREHEND POTTER. DEX BECAME BRIEFLY TANGLED IN A BARBED WIRE FENCE DURING THE PURSUIT BUT SUCCESSFULLY APPREHENDED POTTER A SHORT TIME LATER AND THE 21 YEAR OLD WAS ARRESTED AND BOOKED INTO THE LAKE COUNTY JAIL ON A NO-BAIL STATUS.

SKUNK TRAIN TUNNEL COLLAPSE RUMOR UNTRUE (TR) JB 3/16/15

RECENT WORK ON THE TUNNEL AND TRACK ON THE SKUNK TRAIN RAIL LINE HAVE PROMPTED UNFOUNDED RUMORS OF A TUNNEL COLLAPSE.

AFTER HEARING SEVERAL RUMORS OF A POSSIBLE TUNNEL COLLAPSE ON THE LINE, THE SKUNK TRAIN GENERAL MANAGER STATED THAT REHABILITATION PROJECTS NEAR TUNNEL NUMBER 1 ON THE LINE HAVE BEEN PLANNED FOR A LONG TIME. WORK ON THE HILLSIDE ABOVE THE TUNNEL HAS SENT DEBRIS DOWN ONTO THE TRACKS ON THE FORT BRAGG SIDE, BUT THE TUNNEL ITSELF IS COMPLETELY SOUND. CURRENTLY, ALL THE SKUNK TRAINS CARS ARE IN WILLITS, WHERE THE LINE IS RUNNING A FULL SCHEDULE TO NORTHSPUR WHILE THE WORK IS BEING COMPLETED ON THE FORT BRAGG SIDE.

COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND AWARDS LOCAL GRANTS (PI) JB 3/16/15

LOCAL GRANTS TOTALING $120,000 WERE AWARDED RECENTLY BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MENDOCINO COUNTY.

THE GRANTS FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WERE AWARDED AT A MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MENDOCINO COUNTY BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MADE POSSIBLE THE FOUNDATIONS COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND. THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDED GRANTS FOR YOUTH, THE ARTS, AND TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY HEALTH AMONG OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST. HIGHLIGHTS THIS YEAR INCLUDED OVER $45,000 IN GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TOWARD HEALTHY COMMUNITIES AND OVER $38,000 IN FUNDING TO VARIOUS ARTS AND HUMANITIES ORGANIZATIONS. DONORS WHO GIVE TO COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND KNOW THEIR GIFTS WILL BE USED HERE IN MENDOCINO FOR THE LONG-TERM BENEFIT OF THE COUNTY.